Cockroaches are the most unpleasant pests you can see in your home. They multiply fast and are difficult to get rid of, and they may also transmit diseases by contaminating our food. The worst part is that they can remain unseen for a long time, and are intelligent enough to only come out at night.
Usually, people call the exterminator in order to get rid of the bugs. However, this is a time consuming and expensive process, and the chemicals present in the products they use can significantly harm our health and the health of our pets. Luckily, there’s a simple natural remedy that can eliminate cockroaches naturally and with no side-effects.
Before you start using it, however, you need to find where the cockroaches are hiding in your home. They are usually present between drainage and sewage pipes as well as behind kitchen faucets, gas outputs, electrical boxes or under the floor or fake ceiling. They can also crawl into the crevices and cracks in your furniture. Cockroaches get inside our home through small cracks in our windows and doors.
The nasty bugs love places where it’s warm, which is why they can sometimes be found under the refrigerator and other household appliances. They can live inside kitchen and bedroom drawers and places with debris such as firewood or laundry bins.
How can you eliminate cockroaches?
Instead of calling the exterminator to deal with the cockroach infestation in your home, you can keep your house clean at all times. Cockroaches are attracted to dirty homes and stay away from clean ones. Never leave dirty dishes in the sink or exposed food leftovers as they attract the bugs. Seal and cover all of your foods well, and regularly clean the drawers and shelves where you put your books and clothing.
Use your vacuum cleaner to clean cushions, beds, armchairs, carpets and mattresses, and make sure to close all the cracks and crevices in the walls. Close the gaps around your sink, showed and bathtub as well in order to prevent cockroaches from getting inside. You’ll need to keep your kitchen and bath dry at all times as well.
Home remedies for cockroaches
Baking soda and sugar
Mix a cup of baking soda with a cup of sugar and sprinkle the mixture all over your home. The bugs will be attracted by the sugar and consume the mixture, which will destroy them from the inside.
Onion and boric acid powder
Make a paste of ½ a cup flour, some chopped onion, a bit of beer or water, 3-4 teaspoons of boric acid powder and some sugar. Mix until you get a homogenous paste, then put the mixture in the areas frequented by the pests in your home. Make sure the mixture is not in reach of your children or pets as it is toxic. Try it yourself and you will find dead cockroaches in your home pretty soon.
Bay leaves
Chop some bay leaves to pieces and put them in the areas frequented by cockroaches in your home – they will be attracted to the leaves, but will stay away from them as they hate the smell.
Catmint
Put catmint all around your home to repel the cockroaches.
Borax
Sprinkle some Borax around your house, but make sure to keep it away from your pets. The powder will dehydrate and destroy their shells, which will kill the bugs pretty quickly.